Former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano is the club's honorary president, but that didn't stop him from criticizing Coach Jose Mourinho’s tactics after the Merengues' 1-1 tie at home against Barcelona all but clinched La Liga title for the Catalan club.

“Barcelona’s soccer in the Bernabeu was simply brilliant. Its superiority was there for the whole planet to see,” Di Stefano wrote in his column in sports daily Marca. “Madrid was a team without personality. The decis
ion to try and play Barcelona on the counterattack was clearly not the right one. Barcelona plays soccer and dances while Madrid just runs back and forth constantly, tiring itself out.”

The 84-year-old Di Stefano added that Barcelona was a lion, while Real Madrid played like a mouse.

The teams play again in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final and next week in the first of their two-leg Champion League semifinal series.

DiStefano is absolutely correct, RMadrid played like a mouse thanks to their coach. Madrid are a different sort of team from the other's that Mourinho has coached against Barcelona(Chelea,Inter). Madrid have a long history of playing winning football in tremendous style,until now the style and the winning have always come hand in hand. For Mourinho,it's all about winning,so screw the style. As a long time Madrid fan,since the early 80's,to see them play in the way of Holland in last year's WC final is revolting,it literally gave me a headache.It's as if Madrid's ownership has sold it's soul to the devil(Mourinho), to win at any and all cost.

Seems like a long time since a coach could be fired for winning but not playing well (Capello) doesn't it Chris? I know the results will be what people remember, not the style of play or the specific games. But I almost find myself more amazed by the mountains of praise bestowed upon this Barça team. To turn Numancia into a defensive shell is one thing, but to force the likes of inter, real Madrid, arsenal, Manchester united, and Holland into defend and counter attack??? To hear these comments from Di Stefano, a Merengue though and through? They have already won.

Gak:Shows how much you know about Spanish football,style is just as important to the fans of all Spanish clubs,but especially R.Madrid. Just watch old videos of the great Madrid of the 1950's,if they had parked the bus back in that time I believe that the fans would have rioted or at least left the stadium in disgust. To play with style and skill in today's game takes courage and playing to stop the other team from playing with style and skill is the same as admitting that you're inferior or that you're afraid or both.